Skip to main content
Water for food website

Our People

Board of Directors

Mogens Bay

Chairman, Robert B. Daugherty Foundation

Hank M. Bounds

Professor, University of South Alabama

Jeffrey P. Gold

President, University of Nebraska System

Felicia Marcus

William C. Landreth Visiting Fellow, Stanford University Water in the West Program

James B. Milliken

President, University of California

Emeritus Board Members and Leadership

Howard W. Buffett

Management Advisory Board, Earth Institute, Columbia University

Mike Johanns

Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and U.S. Senator of Nebraska

Roberto Lenton

Executive Director Emeritus

Peter G. McCornick

Executive Director Emeritus

Jeff Raikes

Co-Founder, Raikes Foundation, Past DWFI Board Chair

Sub-Entities

The Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute has several sub-entities, each focused on a particular area of expertise related to our mission. Learn more about each area and view associated staff below. 

Supported Students

DWFI awards funding to DWFI Faculty Fellows to support student researchers across all four University of Nebraska campuses who are working on projects that contribute to the institute’s mission.

View our supported students

The Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute has many individuals who work towards its mission of water and food security. View those associated with the institute in each of the respective categories.

Leadership and Staff
Our core DWFI staff are an essential part of our mission and work every day toward a more water and food secure world. In addition to DWFI staff, we also work closely with those from the Nebraska Water Center, the Water Sciences Lab and the Water, Climate and Health Program.

Sammy Z. Akasheh

Senior Research Associate

Erin J. Anders

Senior Program Manager

Jesse Bell

Director of Water, Climate and Health

Nick Brozović

Director of Policy

Rebecca Carrillo

Program Coordinator

Jude Cobbing

Senior Program Manager

Craig Eiting

Web Developer and Graphic Design Specialist

Arianna Elnes

Communications Specialist

Ivo Zution Goncalves

Research Assistant Professor

Frances Hayes

Director of Communications and Public Relations

Rachael Herpel

Assistant Director

Harshanee Jayasekera

Postdoctoral Research Associate

Nicole Lefore

Associate Director

Janet Means

Administrative Specialist

David Munyaneza

Program Coordinator

Christopher Neale

Director of Research

Crystal Powers

Water and Cropping Systems Extension Educator

Amber Poythress

Events Coordinator

Chittaranjan Ray

Director, Nebraska Water Center

Renata Rimšaitė

Senior Program Manager

Randall Ritzema

Research Program Scientist

Joe Sanders

Executive Director

Karina Schoengold

Associate Director, Nebraska Water Center

Global Fellows

DWFI Distinguished Fellows are eminent scholars, practitioners and long-time partners of the institute who provide guidance and historical context.

  • Rick Allen
  • Soumya Balasubramanya
  • Wim Bastiaanssen
  • Shimelis Beyene
  • George Burba
  • Paulo de Tarso
  • Colin Everson
  • Rolando Flores
  • Tim Foster
  • Federico Garcia Suarez
  • John B. Gates
  • Helena A. Gomez Macpherson Christopher Hain Laszlo Hayde
  • Antonio Heriberto de Castro Teixeira
  • Ravinder Kaur
  • Rachael McDonnell
  • Thuraya Mellah
  • Gary P. Merkley
  • Douglas J. Merrey
  • Aditi Mukherji
  • Vinay Nangia
  • Jeffrey M. Peterson
  • Daran Rudnick
  • Janay (Jay) Sagin
  • Daniel Tsegai
  • Slim Zekri

Distinguished Fellows
Daugherty Water for Food Institute Global Fellows are faculty members and researchers external to the University of Nebraska who provide significant and sustained contributions to the Institute’s global research, scholarship, engagement and education programs. Global Fellows substantively and geographically complement the institute leadership’s and Faculty Fellows’ areas of expertise, thereby expanding the Institute’s capacity to implement projects internationally. Appointments are non-salaried.
  • E. Robert Meaney
  • Roberto Lenton

International Advisory Panel

The DWFI International Advisory Panel (IAP) provides high-level guidance and strategic direction to the institute. Composed of distinguished international leaders in water, food, and development, the IAP offers invaluable expertise and insights to ensure the institute's research, education, and engagement activities effectively address the pressing global challenges of food and water security. 

  • Martin Pasman, President/Director of Valley Argentina
  • Letitia Obeng, Independent Scholar, Washington, D.C., USA
  • Roric Paulman, Owner and Operator, Paulman Farms, Sutherland, Nebraska
  • E. Robert Meaney, Business Consultant, formerly Valmont Industries

Visiting Researchers and Scholars

Visiting Researchers and Scholars are distinguished academics, professionals, and practitioners from around the world who join DWFI on a temporary basis. They contribute to the Institute's research and scholarly activities through collaborative projects, seminars, workshops, and other forms of intellectual exchange. Their varied expertise and international perspectives enrich the Institute's research environment and foster innovative solutions to global water and food challenges.

Vitor de Jesus Martins Bianchini
Research Engineer

Ashish Masih
Research Engineer